A Lonely Heart
by SomaFan
Summary: The group is reborn in the modern age, and must prevent history from repeating itself. Fighting monsters, each other, and studying to pass those nasty SATs, Highschool will never be the same. GutsXGriffith pairing
1. Prologue

**A Lonely Heart** by SomaFan (Victoria Banks)

_Author's notes:_

_This is a yaoi type story. If you find the prospect of men with men disturbing, gross, or just plain offensive, than I encourage you **not** to read this. If you don't mind this type of material, than read away and hopefully enjoy. You have been warned. : )_

_It is rated M for a reason. Possible light sexual content, implied rape, and plenty of violence, especially in later chapters._

_I don't own Guts, Griffith, or the Berserk franchise. I wrote this for fun, and I kindly request that I not be sued for it, as I have no money. ; (_

_I tried to explain the back story as best I could, with only watching the English dubbed anime. I don't know how the series actually ended, if it even did, as I don't have access to the books or the video game, and I happen to hate wikipedia. In other words, I made up the last two paragraphs of the prologue, and I'm not changing it._

_This is possibly an Alternate Universe, or more precisely, a future reborn type thing. My favorite characters in a Highschool setting, fighting demonic monsters, and finding true love, in other words, this is my dream for the perfect anime. I do plan on finding Caska a love interest (possibly one of my own design, because none of the male characters in the anime are good enough for her IMO.) but this story will focus on Guts & Griffith._

_I will try my best to keep my grammar mistakes to a minimum, but do not have anyone to proof-read my work. Spelling mistakes, if any, will mostly be typos, because I am not good at typing and often hit the wrong key without realizing it. Please be lenient _

_That's it. Enjoy._

* * *

**Prologue**

Many a year ago, in a time of darkness and war, a child was born to a corpse and raised as a mercenary. Quickly learning the harsh lessons of war and life, the child became a battle hardened warrior. He fought using a sword, nearly as big as he was, and his skills were unmatched. Until the day he lost, to the leader of a The Band of the Hawk.

The White Hawk dreamed of becoming a king, and knew the man would be a useful addition to his band. Over time, the band grew stronger, until they helped deal a deciding blow, thus ending the war, and gaining the trust of the king. They became the White Hawk Knights.

The man remained faithfully at the Hawk's side, until he could see the end of his friend's quest. Soon after, the man decided the new knight no longer needed his skills, and left to seek his own destiny. Crushed by this abandonment, the hawk miscalculated his next move and fell from grace. Tortured and alone, he went insane.

Eventually, the White Hawk made a pact with a demon and became a king. He ruled with an iron fist, and darkness engulfed everything as demons controlled the land.

The man, cursed by his once friend, vowed revenge on the Demon King for all the innocents lost to his insane desires. He became a berserker, known as the Black Swordsman, and fought until the Demon King died by his hands. Having expended most of his strength in the battle, the man finally found peace, and died.

Countless years have passed, and all records of that dark time were destroyed. People have long since forgotten this tragic true tale of knights and demons, and the only proof of its existence lies in a single prophecy, written by an unknown author, which tells of the rebirth of the Berserker and the Hawk. A prophecy that warns of the danger they will face, and the choices they must make in order to prevent the tragedy from repeating itself. What will the future hold?

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_Well, how was that for an intro? Short right? I know it sucked, but it will get better in the future, hopefully... __Please review. _


	2. Chapter 1 Fate is Cruel

**A Lonely Heart **by SomaFan (Victoria Banks)

_Author's notes:_

_This is a Yaoi, men with men, story. Don't like it? Don't read it! It's that simple. _

_No matter how much I wish it wasn't true, I don't own Guts, Griffith, or Berserk. I wrote this for fun, so no suing! Okay? Please? Pretty please?_

_There will be some bad language in the story, so be warned. Not much violence, yet..._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Fate is Cruel**

_There she stood under a dead tree, outlined by the blood red tint of a strange moon. Her long, black hair was flowing in a nonexistent breeze, as she watched the moon. Beautiful and silent standing atop a hill surrounded by a sea of corpses. He had never met her before, and yet he knew her. He knew it was his mother. But how could that be? She was dead… _

_She turned to him, and smiled kindly, beckoning him to her without words and open arms. He tried to run to her, but the corpses came to life. Grabbing at his limbs, and trying to pull him down. He punched and kicked at the bodies, ripping his arms and legs free from their putrefying grasp._

_As he reached the base of the hill, a giant clawed hand reached up from a black abyss, as the bodies disappeared into the void that appeared out of nowhere. It grabbed his legs, and began dragging him into the void. He reached blindly for something, anything, to grab onto, as his eyes were glued to the shadowed form of a colossal demon. Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed his and dragged him from the demon's clutches. Safely on the hill, though badly shaken, he looked up at the person who had rescued him. _

_His beautiful mother smiled down at him and then embraced him gently. In his ear, in a voice so quiet he shouldn't have been able to hear it, she spoke. "My beloved son, the time has come to begin the journey again. You must be stronger then you ever had to be before. You must choose the right path, and prevent the Demon's Awakening, lest the world fall once again into darkness."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_The demons wish to enter the world again, and seek to awaken a chosen as their king. It is your job to prevent this person from walking back into the darkness."_

"_How do I do that? I don't even know who this person is…"_

"_You will know all when the time comes. Just remember, physical power is not the only form of strength, and that appearances can be deceiving. My time grows short, and that is all the advice I can give."_

"_W-what?" He pulled away from her embrace, and watched as her body began to decay before his eyes. The ground around his feet began to crumble, and he once again fell into the void. His mother shouted something, the words grating across rotting vocal cords, but it was already unintelligible. He reached for her, but was quickly swallowed by utter darkness. As he fell, the clawed hand once again grabbed him and brought him to the demon's face. The otherworldly image shook him to the bone. Immediately brought to the edge of madness, blind panic took over his mind, and he involuntarily screamed. As he screamed, the demon laughed, and then it opened its huge maw, and swallowed him whole. While he still continued to scream…_

Guts woke up as he hit the floor with a loud thud. "What the hell!? …A dream? Only a dream…" He sat on the floor and covered his face with his hands as he desperately tried to calm his racing heart. He could already feel the tightening of his muscles, as they bordered on the edge of "a fit". Gritting his teeth he forced his breathing to return to normal, and purposely slowed his heartbeat, all in an attempt to stop the muscle spasms that racked his body when he was stressed.

Finally regaining control, he jumped when a loud bang sounded next to his bed. His neighbor was pounding on the wall and shouting obesities at him for waking her up. The words coming through the paper thin walls loud and clear, as did pretty much any other sound. "Go to hell, you old hag!" Guts responded venomously, and winced at the painful scratching of his abused throat. It didn't take a genius to figure that he had actually been screaming. He allowed his eyes to adjust to the gloom before untangling his legs from the sheets, and getting a glass of water. The slightly rust colored gunk the slum lord called water burned his throat, but he chugged it anyway. Wincing from the sour, metallic taste, he sighed and studied the crappy one-room apartment.

It was a small room, easily dominated by his small, always messy but never dirty, single bed. There was a 9 inch television with rabbit ears, because he couldn't afford even basic cable, a folding card table and two folding chairs, which he bought for 10 bucks at a garage sale, set up next to the tiny kitchenette, and a small table lamp which he only turned on when working on his homework. Speaking of homework, Guts had school tomorrow, and he knew he should go back to sleep. But that dream had really shaken him up, and the thought of closing his eyes made him shudder.

Deciding going back to sleep was impossible at the moment, he sat on his bed and turned on the TV to USA. It was airing a rerun marathon of Law & Order SVU, and Guts frowned. It wasn't that he didn't like the show, but seeing Detective Stabler beat up a pedophile is only comical for so long. After the 20th time it lost its charm and just wasn't funny anymore… Well, not as funny anyway. But who was he to complain? After all, it wasn't like he was paying for it.

After about 3 shows, he dozed off, only to be awakened by his neighbor banging on his wall again. Now she was screaming about his alarm clock ringing for the last 30 minutes.

"Wait a sec… 30 MINUTES!!!??? OH SHIT!!! I'M LATE!!!! GOD DAMMIT!!!" Guts swore as he punched of the clock, and hurriedly got dressed. He grabbed his books, shoved them into his tattered backpack, and ran out of the apartment. Despite leaving without breakfast or tying his shoes, and forgetting to grab his coat or umbrella, he still missed his train. He got there just as it pulled out of the station. "Shit! How could this day get any worse?"

Upon saying that, he ran up the subway stairs only to find that it had started raining. Looking up at the treacherous sky, Guts sighed heavily. "I just had to ask…" Sighing again, he steeled himself and took off for the school at a dead run. If he kept that pace, he could make it to the school in about a half an hour. It would have been cutting it close on a good day, but today Lady Fate seemed to want to stomp all over him. He ran into an intersection only to be hit by an idiot that decided to run the red light. Guts' massive 7'4" frame left a sizable dent in the cheap car's hood, and a splash could be heard as he landed in a huge puddle. The driver had the nerve to yell at him for wreaking the car, and if he hadn't been late he would have beat the driver's ass all over the street. But seeing how he was, he just got up, checked his body for broken bones, gave the driver the middle finger and a few choice adjectives, and set off for the school again as if nothing had happened. He failed to notice the boy with snow white hair watching from a car across the street.

Guts got to the school with barely time to spare, and noticed immediately that the rest of the student body was staring at him. He knew he looked a mess, but that didn't stop him from getting pissed off. "What the hell are you people staring at!?" Guts half shouted half growled at the other students who all adverted their eyes. Feeling miserable, he went to his locker and grabbed his books for his first class, English. "Well at least I start the day with my favorite teacher, Mr. Syoto."

"Wow! You're a mess. Is that how people dress in this school?" A soft voice inquired from behind him, causing Guts to jump.

"Who the hell are you?" Guts asked as he turned around. The first thing he noticed was the other boy's piercing blue eyes, and long, snow white hair. The hair framed a beautiful, childlike face, which was smiling sweetly at him.

"My name is Griffith, and I'm new to this school. Today's my first day here."

Guts lifted an eyebrow at that, and shook his head. "So you start out by insulting me?"

Griffith gave him an inquisitive look, than laughed. "I'm sorry. I was honestly curious as to how people dressed here. I once went to a school where almost everybody dressed Goth, but look at me rambling. I was wondering do you know where the principle's office is?"

"Yeah, I know where it is…"

"Well?"

"'Well' what?" Guts asked frowning. He knew what Griffith was asking; he just wanted to be difficult.

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"………" Griffith fell silent for a moment as he went over the conversation in his mind, and groaned as he saw the literary falsely on his part. "Will you tell me how to get to the principle's office, please?"

"Oh, is that all? Go down this hall, take a right at the 2nd intersection, and it's the first door on the left."

"Great, Thanks!" Griffith waved and took off down the hall. Guts watched him leave, shut his locker, than took off in the opposite direction toward his class.

He got there just after the bell rang, making him officially late. He slipped into the classroom only to find the teacher hadn't arrived yet. Breathing a sigh of relief, he took his seat in the back right corner of the room. Just then the teacher walked into the room, followed by Griffith.

"I apologize for being late; however I was asked, by the Principle, to pick up our newest classmate. This is Griffith Hawk, and I expect you all to give him a polite welcome." Mr. Syoto said with a warm smile, as he pushed his thin glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. He walked over to his desk, and pulled out a piece of paper from a drawer. "Now allow me to look at the seating chart to find you a place, Mr. Hawk. I assume everyone is in their assigned seat…?"

At that, the sound of screeching chairs and scrambling feet echoed through the room as everyone ran back to their original seats. Looking up from the sheet, Mr. Syoto laughed as he saw almost everyone in a different place. "I would like to thank you all for, at least, pretending to care about the seating arrangements. Now then, Mr. Hawk there is an open seat by Mr. Guts Raider that I would like you to occupy. Mr. Raider, please be so kind and raise your hand, so Mr. Hawk will know who I am talking about, and may take his seat."

Guts made a face and inwardly groaned, but raised his hand. Griffith smiled and walked over to the desk. Upon taking his seat he whispered, "And so we meet once more. I must thank you again for your help in locating the Principle's office. It was very kind of you."

Guts ignored him, as the teacher pulled his waist length, black hair into a pony tail, which always signaled the start of class. "To start out today's class I would like all of you to recall a time about four weeks into the past. You may remember the book reports that I said would be due today." A collective groan rang out from the class as they all took out their reports. Guts began to panic as he pulled his paper from his bag, only to realize that it had been destroyed. His backpack hadn't prevented it from getting soaked when he landed in the puddle, and the ink had run leaving the paper mostly unreadable. "Yes yes, enough of that please. You all know the drill by now I would hope. You will each take a turn reading your reports to the rest of the class. Today we will start with you, Mr. Raider. Please read your report to us."

Griffith had noticed the paper, and waited for Guts to explain what had happened that morning. He was thoroughly surprised when Guts shoved the ruined paper back into the bag, looked at the floor, and mumbled that he didn't have it. Syoto frowned as his acute hearing picked up the admission, and shook his head disappointedly. "Mr. Raider, I will see you after class." The class shifted and snickered, he was in big trouble.

The girl in front of Guts, named Caska, turned around and smirked. "Well that's got to be a new record. Two minutes into the class and already you're in trouble. Your ineptitude never ceases to amaze me, Guts." All Guts could do was slump into his chair and stare at the floor, until a commanding voice spoke up.

"Now wait just a minute. He is not at fault for not having the report. I saw him get thrown into a puddle when a car hit him this morning. His paper got ruined during the accident. I think he should be allowed time to get a new copy, seeing as how he did do the report." The whole class started whispering, and Guts just stared, with his mouth wide open, at Griffith. Mr. Syoto looked at Guts and asked, "Is that true, Mr. Raider?"

Stunned into silence, Guts could only nod. Caska sneered at that. "Are you kidding me!? If he got hit by a car then he should be at the hospital with broken bones and God only knows what other type of injuries. It's obviously a fake excuse for not doing his work." Griffith glared at Caska, who immediately fell quiet.

"Are you saying I'm lying, Caska?" Griffith asked coldly.

"………No… It's just…"

"Ahem… If I may intrude into your conversation for a moment…?" Caska blushed at his polite admonishment, as Syoto shook his head and smiled. "If what was said is true, then I am glad you were not hurt badly, Mr. Raider. I'll give you until the end of the day to get a copy of your report on my desk, and you can read it to the class tomorrow. For now I would like to see the damaged version of your work please." As he talked, he walked over to stand in front of Gut's desk and held out his hand. Guts nodded, fished the paper out of his bag, and gave it over without a word, still looking at the floor. He looked over the paper thoroughly, and smiled. "It looks like you worked hard on this. I can't wait to grade the undamaged version. Now let us continue with the 'ritual torture', as you all stated so bluntly in last weeks journals. Miss Caska Scimitar, will you please read your report?"

"Yes Sir, right away." Caska stood up and started reading from her paper, as Mr. Syoto sat down at his desk and closed his eyes. "My report was on "The Devil on Horseback" and it was written by Victoria Holt…"

While Caska and the other students read their reports, Guts thought about how Griffith had stood up for him. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for the help, but it just didn't make any sense to him, because they had just met. He looked over at Griffith only to receive a big smile in return, and sighed to himself. Today had sucked, and he had a terrible feeling it was only going to get worse. After all, the day had only just begun…

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_I hope this turned out better than the prologue, as it certainly turned out longer. The next chapter is where I hope it will get more exciting, as I plan on having the demons enter the picture. I also plan on bringing in Judeau, Pippin, and Corkus in the next chapter, but I'm still playing with how to get Ricket into a Highschool setting without changing the story to much._

_Please review. Praise is loved! __Constructive criticism is appreciated. __Opinions are welcome. __Flamers will be burned. _


	3. Chapter 2 As Paths Unfold

A Lonely Heart by SomaFan (Victoria Banks)

**A Lonely Heart **by SomaFan (Victoria Banks)

_Author's notes:_

_This is a yaoi story (men with men). Please do not read this if that type of material is offensive to you. _

_Warnings: Seriously bad language. (Might be an understatement to be honest, but I don't know what else to say.) _

_I do not own the Berserk franchise. I borrowed the characters and made my own plot, but the purpose was purely for fun. I am not making a profit. You're welcome to sue me, but I have no money and can't give you anything for your trouble._

* * *

**Chapter 2: As Paths Unfold**

"Damn it!" Guts punched his locker in frustration. He had been right; the day had only gotten worse. He had flunked his Advanced Algebra test _(stupid fractions on 3/4 of the test)_. A kid had puked on him during Biology _(damn frog dissections)_. He had, unintentionally, fallen asleep in Geography, which resulted in a detention _(fucking nightmare and dumb teacher with a monotone voice)_. Now, on top of everything else, his locker was stuck! "Goddamn fucking piece of shit!! Open damn you!!" Another punch, a few more choice adjectives, and one ankle-spraining kick later, Guts finally rested his head against the locker in exasperation. What had he done to deserve this!?

"Yes, I'm sure yelling at it will fix the problem."

Guts turned his head to glare at the smirking boy leaning against the neighboring locker. "Shut up, Griffith." He grabbed at the locker door again and pulled as hard as he could. The locker swung open suddenly, wacked him in the nose, and then recoiled shut promptly relocking itself. Griffith burst out laughing as Guts held his now bleeding nose, and used every curse word in the book, and a few Griffith was sure Guts had just made up.

"Serves you right. That's what you get for beating up on the poor thing." Handing Guts a tissue, Griffith reached for the locker. "Let me try. What's your combination?"

"6, 6, 6." Guts all but growled as he wiped the blood from his face. Griffith raised an eyebrow questioningly, and started to comment. "Don't you dare say it!" Griffith shrugged, and spun in the code. The locker proceeded to open without trouble, bringing an annoyed scowl to Gut's face. "Show off…"

"You're welcome." Griffith replied with a smile and stepped out of the way as Guts exchanged the books, and closed the foul metal contraption. "Can we go to the cafeteria now?"

"I'll show you where it is, then I'm leaving, and I'll meet you there after lunch to show you to your next class." _(Mr. Syoto had asked him to show Griffith around for the day, as they had the same schedule.) _

"You're not going to eat with me?" Griffith tilted his head questioningly and gave a mock pout. "Don't you like me?"

"At the moment? No. Thanks to you opening your big mouth in English, I now have to skip lunch to run home, find my travel-drive, run back to the school, go to the library, and pay the librarian to print out another copy of that damn report."

"Aren't you hungry? Why don't you just get your parents to drop it off? And, are you even allowed to leave the campus?"

"In this order. I'm starving, I can't, and no I'm not."

"How far away do you live?"

"30 minutes if I run the whole way."

"Well, I have a car if you want a ride…"

"Seriously!? Why would you give up your lunch break to give me a ride?"

Griffith shrugged, and leaned against a locker. "I know we just met, but for some reason I like you Guts, and I feel like I want to get to know you better."

Guts' jaw dropped and he stared at the other boy in disbelief. "No offense, but that sounds like something you say to a girl…"

"Does it…?" Griffith seemed to contemplate that, then shrugged and smiled. "I suppose it does, but it's the truth. I feel like I can trust you Guts, and I think you would make a great… friend. So, do you want a ride or not?"

Now it was Guts' turn to mull over Griffith's words, as he had had the same feelings as Griffith. He would never admit it, but the thought of becoming friends with the cheerful boy was not an unpleasant one. In the end he simply shrugged. "I wouldn't mind a ride, but I'm warning you for your own good. With the day I've been having, don't be surprised if your car breaks down or something."

Griffith rolled his eyes. "Can you say 'paranoid'? Come on."

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"Paranoid, huh?" Guts smirked as Griffith panted behind him. As predicted the car got a flat tire. Griffith fixed it easily enough, but then the car refused to start; which resulted in both of them leaving the car locked at the curb, and running to Guts' apartment. The good news was that it had, at least, stopped raining.

Griffith finally caught his breath, and pushed his hair out of his face before crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "Humph… It was a coincidence. The car was only 600 and it was old when I got it, and you know what they say; 'You get what you pay for.'

Guts shrugged as he dug his key out of his backpack. "You didn't have to follow me home. You should have just gone back to the school. You might have had time to eat a sandwich or something before your next class."

"I wanted to see where you live…" Guts shook his head as he opened the door, and walked into the apartment. He went immediately over to the dresser where the TV was and began digging through a drawer. Griffith closed the door behind him and took in the small room. "It's… ah… it's nice, quaint."

"Bullshit! It's a dump, it's small, and it should have been condemned years ago. And before you ask, no my parents don't live here. Ah ha, here it is…" Guts grinned as he pulled the small device from the drawer, and shoved it in his bag. He pulled open another drawer and pulled out a shirt. "I'm gonna get changed real quick. Turn around."

"Why? We're both boys. It's not like you have anything I haven't seen before."

Guts blushed slightly and he scowled. "Excuse me for being modest. Turn around or leave."

With a roll of his eyes and an annoyed groan Griffith complied. "Fine, I'll turn around. There, happy now?"

"Ecstatic." Guts said sarcastically as he pulled his shirt off and turned around to put the dirty one in the hamper.

"I still don't see what the big…" Griffith started to complain as he turned his head to look at Guts, and, for the first time in his life, found the rest of his words died on his lips. He got a good look at Guts' back which was muscular and chiseled, but that wasn't what stole his words. It was the massive amount of scars from what looked like a whip that covered almost all of his back. He resisted the urge to walk over and touch them, and turned around without another word; fixing his eyes to the floor. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain of a beating that could leave welts so deeply carved into human flesh.

Lost in thought, Griffith jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. "Hey! Earth to Griffith!"

"I…ah… I'm sorry. W-what did you say?" Griffith blushed slightly at his own, unusual, incompetence and cursed silently to himself; while he gave Guts a sheepish smile.

"Are you usually this spaced?" Guts stopped his planned teasing when he noticed Griffith's smile become slightly strained. "Oh well, whatever. I said we should get back to school. Sorry but it looks like you'll be late for your next class."

"It doesn't matter… Um, Guts?"

"What?"

Griffith simply shook his head. "It's nothing. Never mind. Let's get going."

Griffith had wanted to ask Guts about his back, but found he could think of no way to ask. It wasn't that he was afraid of admitting he had looked, but anything he might have said died on his lips when he remembered that image. Guts raised an eyebrow at these words, but said nothing. He had the feeling he had just seen something rare pass across Griffith's pallid face. Was it sadness, pity, or something closer to love…Whatever he had seen it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared, once again hidden behind a mask of false happiness. Without another word between them they left the apartment and ran back to the school. Clouds once again threatening in the sky.

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They had gotten into the building just as the clouds once again burst. This time the rain was almost a waterfall, and the wind and lighting made the storm almost menacing in its ferocity. Late couldn't begin to describe their entry into the class. Luckily the teacher was an old man way past his prime who had fallen asleep in his chair. Getting them both out of detention, and a small chance to rest before the bell rang 5 minutes later.

The rest of the day went almost nicely. First the music class had consisted of everyone picking up an instrument and just attempting to play it. Guts had chosen the drums and Griffith a keyboard. Caska took a guitar, and Judeau, a quiet kid who everyone knew without out actually knowing, chose a violin. They just started randomly playing but somehow it turned into quite the nice melody, and soon the class had consisted of everyone listening to the makeshift band. Guts realized later that Griffith had somehow taking the lead and had guided them with his instrument. He didn't know why, but that role seemed to suit Griffith wonderfully.

Gym had consisted of a giant game of dodgeball, which Pippin, the gym teacher, had insisted with few words was good exercise and was good for learning team work. Guts had ended up not being picked, by the two teams as the captains had both refused to play with him. Pippin was angry, and while He was thinking of a way to punish them; Griffith spoke up with a strange challenge. He said it would be Guts and himself against the rest of the class. Both Judeau and Caska insisted on helping them and they ended up as a team of 4 against 41. Somehow when the class ended, they were the ones who were victorious. Guts could only marvel at Griffith's leadership abilities.

With the ringing of the last bell, Guts had handed in his paper and put his books away. Slinging the backpack over his shoulder he stared at the wall of water from the dry confines of the building and sighed.

"Something wrong?" Griffith's quiet voice broke him out of his small reverie. They hadn't really spoken to each other since they left his apartment and Guts had an idea as to why that was. Instead of turning to Griffith, he just shook his head. "Just thinking of how much fun it'll be to walk to the station in that."

"There is something strange about this storm. I can't explain why, but it doesn't really feel natural…"

"It's weird but I had the same feeling."

They stood in silence for a few minuets and watched the storm violently crash outside. Finally Griffith broke the silence "Guts… about before…"

Guts blushed a little and looked at the floor. "You saw it didn't you…"

Griffith simply nodded and watched Guts' hands ball into fists.

"Bastard!" Guts shouted and punched the wall to his side. The other students backed away and gaped in silence as the concrete cracked under the impact. Griffith didn't even flinch.

He watched the muscles in Guts arm twitch slightly under the exertion of the blow, and waited calmly for Guts to regain a small amount of composure. When he saw what he was looking for he simply asked. "How?"

"None of your fucking business" Guts voice dripped venom despite its calm tone.

"Please Guts." Their eyes met and despite himself Guts felt his anger melt away.

Finally he took a deep breath and noticed the rest of the students staring at him. "No way in hell I'm telling you anything." Guts said defiantly, but Griffith read the message behind his words. 'I'll talk, but not in front of all these people.'

"We'll see about that." Griffith smirked, grabbed Guts' bag, stuck his tongue out like a child, and then ran as fast as he could down the hall. Guts starred after him in shock for a moment, then took off after him.

"Give me back my bag you little…!"

"Want it? Come and catch me then." Griffith laughed as he dodged through the mass of students. They both ran as fast as they could, and, after what seemed like hours, Guts finally caught Griffiths arm and pulled the smaller boy to a halt, reclaiming his bag. Panting, Guts sank to the floor against a row of lockers. Griffith sat down next to him. "Will you tell me now?"

Guts furrowed his brow and noticed that they were in an old part of the school that wasn't used anymore. "Sly son of a… What exactly do you want to know?"

"How did it happen? Guts… scars like that… they aren't normal."

"No fucking kidding. Not much to tell really. My 'dad' was a jackass."

"…"

"He used to be a cop, but after an accident he was discharged with honor and a pension. He became a drunk after that, a real mean one. He never liked me. I never had delusions of that, and when he would drink he would beat me with an old-fashioned whip he had…"

"Guts…"

"Shit happens. It's in the past and it doesn't matter anymore. I don't even know why the hell I'm telling you this…"

Griffith stood and smiled gently down at Guts. "Thank you."

Guts blushed again then scowled once more. "You tell anyone about this and you'll end up a part of the sidewalk."

Griffith laughed at the threat. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you. I won't tell. I promise."

"What proof do I have that you'll keep that promise."

"Proof?" Griffith pursed his lips then smiled broadly. "We'll seal that promise."

"How?"

"Like this." Before Guts could even blink Griffith bent over and kissed him. Breaking the kiss Griffith stood over him and smiled; then turned around and walked away. Leaving a very speechless and confused Guts staring after him.

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Somewhere deep in the clouds the silhouette of a woman could be seen hovering over a giant stone alter with a strange symbol carved into it. On the alter the remains of what was once a young girl could be seen with a strange knife sticking out of what used to be her chest.

"Eh heh heh heh. It is only a mater of time now. Soon my allies will awaken, and the king will once again lead this world into darkness." Her sensuous voice lilted on the wind, and her laugh drowned out the rumbling thunder as a small crack began to form in the ground beneath her.

* * *

_I finally got the second chapter out. That took much longer then I thought it would. Every time I reread it I saw something I wanted to change. I have to stop rereading my own work. My outlines are now useless, but I at least tried to keep to what I said at the end of the first chapter. _

_On a side note the book Caska mentioned in the first chapter is a real book and that is the author. I try to put my favorite books into any story I write. It's a quirk I have. _

_Please read and review. Boost my low self esteem or crush it into dust, whichever you choose as long as it's not a useless flame I will take it and use it to improve my work. I apologize for any spelling/grammatical mistakes as I have no one to proofread my work._


	4. Chapter 3 Down into Darkness

**A Lonely Heart **by SomaFan (Vic Banks)

_Author's notes:_

_This is yaoi. (gay, homosexuals, men with men, etc.) Don't like? Don't read. Really a simple concept when you think about it. _

_Warnings: Bad language, violence, blood, gore, and ...well read with caution._

_I claim my rights to own Syoto and Darkron, as they are my characters lovingly created in my very sick and twisted mind. Steal them and die a bloody painful death. ^.^  
_

_Obviously I don't own Berserk or its characters. If I did... oh if only. T-T_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 3: Down into Darkness**

The rain and wind increased to borderline hurricane levels around the ceremonial altar. A thunder louder then any canon sounded as a bolt of black lightning hit the weirdly shaped knife with deadly precision. The small crack began to grow exponentially and soon swallowed the altar and its offering as the earth began to quake. A gigantic demon's claw grasped the edge of the fissure and eyes, one red one blue, appeared from the black depths. As the monstrous creature took in the surroundings, the woman landed from her floating perch above the altar and stepped forward, showing her gorgeous yet blood covered body to the beast. "Welcome back, my demonic prince." She said with a graceful bow.

The demon studied her for a moment, and its maw turned down in a horrid abomination of a frown. "I do not see the other 'virgin' sacrifice. I told you I would need it to bring my followers into this world as well."

"Forgive me. I tried my best, but virgins have truly become a rarity in this modern world. If you would permit me just a little more time, I'm sure I can find a suitable person." She kneeled at his hoofed feet, begging for forgiveness. Instead the demon kicked her hard sending her sprawling backwards. While she lay on her back stunned, he grabbed her hair and pulled her up by it to bring her to face level.

"Whatever do you mean? There is a perfect sacrifice right here." Her face blanched, as the creature grinned bearing its long fangs and licked at the blood that leaked from her now crushed nose.

"What? N-no! Y-you c-can't!" Her words were cut off as his clawed hand stabbed through her chest. As he held her still beating heart in his blood soaked hand, his chilling laughter rang out into the stormy night. Another black bolt struck the ground, followed by many subsequent hits until it was almost a solid wall of black energy. The ground began to quake and groan as it was mercilessly ripped apart.

_xxxxxxxxxx _

Stunned didn't even begin to describe it. He'd been kissed! His first kiss… stolen, and by a guy as well! Guts didn't know whether to be angry, disappointed, or happy. _"……Happy? Did I really just think that!?_" Guts shook the thought out of his head, decided on being angry. It was simpler to explain, and easier to control. He found himself running full speed after the white haired boy, finally catching sight of him in the hall by their lockers. "Griffith…!" The name was all but growled, the low dangerous tone causing the other students to back away in terror. Griffith simply turned around with an innocently, inquisitive look on his elegant face. Guts took the three big steps needed to grab the smaller boy by the collar, and raised his fist to strike him. Griffith's eyes widened and he covered his face with his hands in a desperate attempt to block the incoming blow.

However, before Guts could strike the ground began to shake and rumble with such force he was knocked off balance. In the confusion of the unexpected earthquake students scattered and ran in all directions. Griffith, having been released, tried to shout above the noise trying to get people to calm down only to get knocked to the floor by a nearby panicked male. As he tried to lift himself up the row of lockers along the wall broke their restraints and began to crash down. Without thinking, Guts threw himself over Griffith shielding him. The floor beneath them cracked and crumbled away just before the lockers hit, sending them both into an unknown cavern under the school. The last thing Guts heard before he was swallowed by the darkness was Caska's desperate cry of "Griffith!!!!"

He awoke to find a bloody Griffith staring down at him, and, upon remembering the kiss, sat bolt upright knocking their heads together hard. "Ouch! Ah Guts…!" The voice was gentle yet stern, like a parent admonishing a child.

"Sorry…" Guts replied holding his own head. "…Are you ok? Where are you hurt?"

Griffith rubbed his head a little more before tearing a piece of his shirt off and binding Guts' arm which he had just noticed was bleeding profusely. "No where. This is your blood. You took most of the damage from that fall and the debris. The only damage I received is the bruise where you just hit me."

"Oh…" It was all Guts could manage to say. He didn't know why but he felt sorry for doing it. It made no sense, especially since he had been ready to pound the boy into a pulp just a few minutes ago. "_Shit…my head is so screwed up. Dammit."_ Looking around the black room, Guts rubbed his arms in a futile effort to drive away the damp cold that was beginning to seep into his limbs. It was then he noticed a strange smell in the air. Mold…dust…and…death. …The room smelled of death. How did he know what death smelled like? He wasn't sure, but he knew that was what it was. The sickeningly sweet smell made his stomach turn. "Where… are we?"

"I think it's a cavern of some sort…like a tunnel that ran under the school or something. I can't really tell it's…too dark." Griffith shuddered at the chill and unconsciously leaned against Guts. "Maybe a cavern isn't the right word… seems more like a catacomb. Ugh what a smell…!" He shivered again and covered his nose with his hand. Suddenly out of nowhere a load of books, pencils and other school supplies landed on Guts' head.

"Owwww! Goddamn fucking piece of shit!!!!!!" Guts yelled at the accursed contraption of metal that he knew was hanging open somewhere above his head. Griffith stared in shock for a moment, before he burst out laughing. After all that had happened, he couldn't help it. That locker was really too much. "Shut the hell up! It's not funny!"

"I…ha… know that…ha ha ha, but I….can't…help…it….ha ha ha!" Griffith wiped a few tears from his eyes and slowly calmed down as he met Guts' now venomous glare. He cleared his throat. "Ahem…Sorry. …Well Sitting around here isn't going to do us much good. We should try to find a way out of here."

"And how do you propose we do that without a light, Sherlock."

"Ah it's elementary, my dear Watson." Griffith smirked and ruffled Guts' hair a little trying to lighten the mood. "We'll find a wall and simply walk along it as far as we can. That way even if we don't find a way out we can always come back to where we started."

Guts snorted at the suggestion, but since he didn't have a better idea decided it couldn't hurt to try. He simply nodded to Griffith, who then stood up and helped him to his feet. Griffith checked his watch, took one of the pens on the ground, and forced it into the wall. "A marker." was the only explanation given. Honestly, Guts didn't care as long as they got out of there. He had a bad feeling and it was only getting worse the longer they stayed down here. "Whatever…" They walked in silence for hours. Instead of getting out Guts had the feeling they were traveling deeper into the earth. It was getting colder and the smell was getting stronger. "Hey Griffith…I think we should turn back."

"Hmm? Why's that?"

"Call it a hunch…Something's wrong."

"Is your paranoid sense acting up again?" Griffith teased lightly. "Heh you're starting to sound like a coward." Just then Griffith's hand touched something slimy and cold. He moved his face closer to get a better look then jumped back with a yelp, clinging to Guts.

"Now who sounds like a coward…" Guts cringed as he saw the rotting corpse that the boy had just touched. "Gross…it looks to be about a week old, but I could be wrong. I don't know much about this kind of stuff."

"Who cares? Let's go back…" Griffith said with a slight gag as he wiped his hand on a tissue he dug out of his pocket.

"Sure… Now you want to go back." Guts stated sarcastically.

"Shut up…" Griffith snapped. He hadn't meant to but that had really creeped him out. A part of him knew he should have listened to Guts sooner, but another part of him hadn't wanted to be told what to do. For some reason it annoyed him to think he had miscalculated, and the fact that Guts had pointed it out so bluntly didn't help. He paused for a moment. "…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled."

"Whatever. It's not a big deal."

"It's a big deal to me." Griffith spoke more forcefully then he intended. "…I…I don't like not being in control. It doesn't matter if it's of a situation or my own actions…something about it scares me. …I don't know why." Guts stared at Griffith's back, watching small quivers shake the delicate shoulders. He looked on as Griffith's hands found their way to hug his arms, and his fingers began to dig themselves into the soft flesh causing blood to begin to flow. For the second time that day he moved without thinking, taking Griffith's hands in his own, and wrapping the petite boy in a tight embrace from behind. This action opened a floodgate on Griffith's emotions. Tears he didn't know were there or where they came from flowed down his face as he sobbed. They stayed like that for a while and until Griffith's sobs lessened and stopped. "You can let go, Guts. I-I'm OK now…" With a simple nod, Guts released him. He then continued to rub at the numbing chill in his arms. "Guts… about that…"

"Whatever you want to say, wait till we get the hell out of this place." He couldn't suppress the shiver that raked his body. "It might just be because of the blood loss, but it feels like it's getting colder in here."

Griffith nodded and once again they took to walking in silence. Though they were heading back the way they came, Guts still got the feeling that they were heading deeper into the ground. He paused trying to get his bearings. "Hold up Griffith… Something's not right."

"Of course something's wrong. Nothing about this place is right…" However, this time Griffith headed the words of the larger boy, and looked around carefully. There was a strange pulse to the air he hadn't noticed before. It flowed and ebbed a little like an ocean tide, while beating like a human heart. The air seemed clogged with the dark power. His sixth sense kicked in and he stepped backwards, closer to Guts.

"Damn. Your hands are cold…and wet too."

Griffith turned around to face Guts, a concerned look plastered on his face. "Um Guts…I'm not touching you." They both froze looking down to his wrist which was clasped by a strangely greenish colored hand. Following the arm to the body of the corpse they had run into earlier. "Guts…" Griffith's words were shaky and quiet, proof of his unusual terror.

"H o l y SHIT!!!" Guts punched at the now "living" body, hitting it square in the jaw. Its flesh made a sicken sound as the blow landed, knocking it back onto the floor. "Did I kill it…again?" As if in response, the body jerked once again attempting to rise.

"I say that's a no! Now run for it!" Not having to be told twice Guts took off in the opposite direction following the white haired boy's lead.

After what seemed like hours, they slowed to a stop catching their breath. "Shit shit shit shit shit! What the hell is going on!? How did that thing…!?"

"I don't know… Let me rephrase that. 'I don't WANT to know.'" Griffith looked around, cautiously taking in his surroundings. "The marker… we should have run into it by now…"

"Maybe we passed it… I mean we were kinda running for our lives there….Shit. It's so fucking cold…" Guts sat down on the ground with his back to the wall, shaking uncontrollably. His arm was still bleeding, and the makeshift bandage had fallen off in their retreat. Griffith once again tore his shirt and wrapped the wound, taking extra care to make it tight. He then sat himself between Guts legs wrapping the larger man's arms around himself. "Warmth." was the only explanation given, and Guts didn't protest. He was too tired to worry about what Griffith was doing. The pulsing energy that surrounded them had an almost hypnotic quality to it that made him sleepy, and he closed his eyes. He awoke after what seemed only a few minutes, but had actually been a few hours. Griffith had fallen asleep as well, and was still slumbering quietly in Guts' arms, his face pale and serene. _"Heh…He's actually kinda cute when he's quiet like this."_ Where the thought came from, he didn't know, but it left a slightly warm feeling in his chest. As he studied the face of his new friend, it took him a minute to realize he could see it clearly. …There was light. "Where…?"

Guts froze when he saw a man in front of them. He was strangely tall, and lithe in build. His bluish-silver, waist-length hair was interlaced with gold strings and hung loose down his back. The man studied them with almond shaped eyes, the same mystical color of his hair. In his visible hand he held a small orb, the source of the dim light. Guts shook Griffith awake, and before the boy could complain, pointed out the stranger. Griffith took in the person with the same intense scrutiny, before opening his mouth to speak. A raised hand from the man silenced him. "It's not safe for you two here. If he finds you…"

"Who?" Griffith's question was simple, but the man just shook his head.

"No time. You have leave."

Guts growled at that. "We'd love to, but in case you haven't noticed we're lost, elf boy."

The man seemed amused at the response, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Elf? Is that what I seem like to you? Heh heh you don't know much about this world, do you?" Guts raised an eyebrow at that, anger beginning to rise in his gut, but the man's eloquent, rich voice continued unwary of the danger. "If you are lost then there is no helping it. I'll lead you out."

"No offense, but… how do we know we can trust you?" Griffith's tone had become serious and forceful, like the voice of a Commander in an army. "How do we know you won't lead us to this person we should avoid? Or that you aren't the one we should be running from?"

"You don't know…" The man responded once again amused. "…but you don't have any other choice. Unless, of course, you **want** to fight all the ghouls that have risen from their graves in complete and utter darkness, then by all means don't let me stop you." He snickered when both boys shuddered and glared. "Oh but you might need these. Just in case, you know?" He threw them both a sword. One looked similar to a steel saber, the other more like a giant hunk of steel attached to a hilt. Guts took the bigger blade and was shocked at its tremendous weight. How such a delicate man had carried, yet alone threw, such a weapon was beyond him. "Well if you two are ready shall we go?" He paused however when he noticed Guts' trouble hoisting the blade, the wounded arm almost buckling under the weight. He walked over to the larger boy and placed his hand over to injury. A warm greenish light radiated from his palm. When he removed his hand, Guts stared in awe at his arm, which had been completely healed.

"How…did you?" While Guts gazed at the man in awe and wonder, Griffith was looking at him with wary eyes. A stranger they didn't know had just offered to help them escape from a hell that shouldn't exist in anything but a B-rated horror movie. This didn't bode well, and it irked him to no end that they really had no choice but to trust this…"thing".

Instead of answering Guts' question he simply beckoned them to follow him and walk down a passageway. At first things went smoothly enough, but they were soon attacked by more of those corpses. Guts' large blade was swung in a very crude yet effective style, slicing through the creatures like a knife through butter, splattering rotting flesh and crushing bones against the cavern walls. Griffith's style was much more elegant, almost dance like, but still ruthlessly efficient slicing off arms and legs before cleanly severing their heads. They were complete opposites in both body and mind, at least that much was clear, and yet when they worked together it was like magic. They both fought the creatures in a very deadly yet strangely beautiful dance of blades, as if they were seasoned warriors and not two untrained Highschool students. Finally they emerged victorious from the brutal battle. The man hadn't fought with them but had simply stood back and watched… or perhaps studied was a more appropriate term. Griffith couldn't help but glare at the man, as he watched them both slump tiredly Griffith against a wall, Guts leaning on his sword. The man raised an eyebrow at them. "You didn't expect me to fight, did you?"

"It would have been appreciated." the venom was clear in Griffith's voice.

The man shrugged. "I can't fight."

"Even without combat experience, you could have helped in some way! Chuck stones at their heads or something! There are more then enough around here!" Griffith shouted as Guts simply watched the scene.

"I suppose I could have." He agreed yet smiled almost cruelly. "However I only said I'd lead you out. And if you can't even handle creatures as weak as this..." He trailed off leaving a few more questions hanging in the air, before once again beckoning them to follow. Griffith wanted nothing more then to punch that smug smirk off the "thing's" face, but resisted the urge. After all he had no doubts this guy would leave them alone without a second thought, and without that light…

They continued on, and for some reason didn't run into anymore creatures that tried to attack. Griffith noticed that the pulse around them had seemed to get stronger, but it was now focused around the man. The others seemed to back away from it, which was a little disconcerting. "You're repelling them." It was as much a statement as a question, and the man nodded in conformation. "…if you could do that, why didn't you do it sooner?" Griffith's lips pursed in anger becoming thin to the point of disappearing. The man didn't respond, but pointed towards a path, at it's end a clearly visible old but sturdy staircase. There was a faint light coming from it the top.

"There's the exit. You should go now." There was a strain in his voice, it was raspy and weak. They stared up the stairs, but Guts turned around. The man was watching them go, an almost sad expression on his face.

"Why don't you come too? Surely you can't want to stay down here…" Gut's got a weak, cheerless smile in return.

"I can not leave right now, but we will meet again soon."

"What's your name?"

"Darkron. Please stay safe until we meet once again you two." and with that he disappeared back into the black of the catacomb.

Guts followed Griffith into the sun, and judging by the direction it was clearly just beginning to rise. That of course meant they had been down there all night long. "I kinda feel sorry for him…he didn't seem that bad considering." Griffith gave an uncharacteristic snort at that. He didn't trust that "thing" and having sympathy for "it" was out of the question. Darkron had lifted a weapon even the gym teacher Pippin would have had trouble carrying, yet claimed he couldn't fight. He had healed Guts with some sort of strange power, and used the energy that flowed around them to make a barrier protecting them only after he had watched them fight. This person wasn't human…that was the only thing Griffith was sure of. But what he was… or even whose side he was on, was a complete and utter mystery…

"Where are we anyway?"

Guts looked around. "I think it's just outside of the city. Looks like Berman's Bar is over there. I know the way from here. Come on, I can show you where you left your car." Griffith simply nodded. He was tired…too tired. He looked at Guts with a small amount of awe and a lot of respect. He had been the one hurt the worst, and yet he seemed to have already recovered a good portion of his strength. It seemed a little unfair… "Hey, Griffith! You coming?" Guts' words broke him out of his thoughts. But before he could respond his exhaustion caught up with him, and he felt himself fall forward. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was Guts as he shouted his name.

* * *

_There, another chapter finished. God I suck at updating, I apologize deeply for the long wait. This turned out much darker then I had originally intended, and I apologize for the horror movie feel. I'm no fond of scary movies, and I scared myself when I reread it this chapter. o.o; I know I'm a coward. x.x_

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_Again I ask to be forgiven for minor spelling/grammatical mistakes. No one to proofread and all that…_

_Ah…but I digress. Did you love it? Hate it? Please tell me, so I can make it better… or stop writing altogether if I suck. X3 In other words… Please read and review._


	5. Chapter 4 Through Dangers Untold

**A Lonely Heart** by SomaFan (Vic Banks)

_Author's Notes:_

_Sorry about the long wait on updating. Cancer is certainly no fun as I didn't even have the strength to sit down at the computer desk and write, but a new laptop fixed that little problem and now I should be back and updating regularly. Enjoy!_

_This is a yaoi story. Don't know what that is? Google it. Don't like that kind of stuff? …Then why are you still reading this story? o.o?_

_Warnings/Disclaimers:_

_Cursing, violence, and if everything goes right little a sweet little sugary lemon. (Just don't get your hopes up. I can't get to the good stuff this early on in the story. :3) _

_I own Darkron, Syoto, and Ran. Do not touch them without my permission. They are mine! *arches back and hisses viciously*_

_I do not own Berserk or its characters in any way, shape, or form…unless you count owning the dvds then they are all mine. XP_

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**Chapter 4: Through Dangers Untold**

Darkron left the two boys at the stairway. After watching them fight, he knew there was a chance that they could do what needed to be done. He walked into the main chamber of the catacomb, stopping to cringe at the altar that still held the remains of that poor girl, and now the fresh body of the priestess. He sighed when he felt the chill in the room be replaced by the heat of a fire behind him. "You really shouldn't have killed her… Dark Priestesses with real power are so hard to find these days." A hand grabbed him from behind, and then shoved him hard into a wall. The hand held him with crushing force, as the other man put his face closer to Darkron's, the smell of rotting flesh clinging to his breath. Darkron merely chuckled at the display. "Still as hot-tempered as ever I see, little brother."

"Call me that again, and I will break that skinny neck of yours. I claim no kinship to one of your kind."

Darkron gave an exasperated sigh as he reached up to gently trace circles on the large hand at his throat. "What's wrong this time? Are you not pleased with the form I gave you, Firelo?" He studied his brother's form in earnest. It was quite beautiful if he did say so himself. Shoulder length red hair, surrounding a mature yet youthful face, and a muscular yet thin body. A much improved visage compared to the monstrous hoofed form he had had when he arrived. "If you want a better one I could always try a more…personal approach to the spell." Upon hearing the seductive tone, Firelo sneered in disgust and released his hold on the older creature.

"This form is fine. I'm more curious as to where **you** disappeared to." He reached out with his hand and a ghoul came to it eagerly accepting the gentle pats. "They were all astir. Something was in the tunnels, and killed a large number of my dear pets. You leave the chamber, and whatever was here disappeared."

Darkron shrugged. "What concern is it of mine, if a few rats escaped your trap? I have no interest in anything dealing with those disgusting creatures you call pets." revulsion was clearly evident in his tone as he watched the corpse lean into his brother's hand like a dog.

"You see that's the thing… I don't think the rats escaped… at least not on their own. I think a much larger one helped them. …and I noticed the Dragon Slayer and Hawk's Eye are missing. You wouldn't happen to know where my valuable and ancient swords disappeared to, would you?" Darkron swallowed hard, hoping his face didn't show the suddenly sick feeling in his stomach. He knew his brother didn't trust him, very few creatures were dumb enough to trust one such as he, but he hadn't expected his brother to completely dismiss the whole "I'm loyal because I don't want to die" thing.

"You think I'm a traitor? Then prove it." He cocked his eyebrow in a mocking manner and smirked. His voice laced with much more confidence then he actually felt. Thankfully his brother bought it, and shook his head. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"I'll be watching you carefully Darkron. You'd better not betray me." He gave an elegant bow and started to head for the door. "Oh, one more thing before you go, brother dear." The sickeningly sweet tone made a chill go down the graceful one's spine. "I'll need my pet to come with me into the city. Please give him your …personal spell. I want his form to be perfect." Darkron couldn't keep the disgust from his face and retched at the thought of touching that rotting creature…much less doing "that". His brother laughed, clearly enjoying the look of utter horror on his face.

"_You WILL die for this…even if I have to go back to hell with you to do it."_ Darkron thought to himself, as he begrudgingly reached out for the ghoul before him…

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Pine…a deep and rich scent, almost overpowering yet strangely familiar and calming. That was the first thing Griffith became aware of. The next was warmth enveloping and soft. Both of these things seemed to combine and made him feel comfortable…safe. A soft rustling off to his left drew him further into consciousness. The light was very dim but still it hurt his eyes and made his head throb, despite this he looked towards the door, where the noise emanated from. "…Guts?" His voice was weak and when he tried to sit up the room spun around him. A figure turned around at the small sound and came over to the bed. A large hand was placed on his forehead and Griffith shivered. It felt cold against his skin, a sure sign of a fever. The face that looked down at his was blurry, but he was now sure it was Guts. He felt himself being lifted into a sitting position and made a feeble sound of protest, which was cut off by a cup placed against his lips.

"Drink." A single word, softly spoken but firm in tone was Guts' reply.

Griffith did as he was told, and almost choked on the bitter liquid. He tried to study Guts' form, as there was something strange about it, but he soon gave up as his vision blurred more. Sleep once again tugged at his eyes as Guts laid him back down and tucked him in. A part of his mind was angry at being treated like a child, but another part was happy. _Happy? Yes...happy, and what a strangely warm feeling it is too…_ Griffith thought to himself as a small smile appeared on his lips.

"Sleep." Again it was only a word; not quite an order, but very close to one. As Griffith fell back to sleep, the last thing he was aware of was once again the scent of pine. _"Must be…Guts. I…could probably learn to love this scent." _A final thoughtas he lost consciousness.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"What a pain…" Guts sighed as he looked down at the small form sleeping in his bed. When Griffith had collapsed Guts had carried him back to his apartment…mainly because he had no idea where the other boy lived and he had been sleeping all day, a luxury the larger boy could not afford. Taking the now empty cup to the small sink, he looked at the clock which read 6pm and groaned. He was still worn out from the night before and lack of sleep, but it couldn't be helped, Guts had to go to work. The herb medicine would definitely help with the fever, but Guts was still hesitant about leaving Griffith here alone. As before though it couldn't be helped, so he grabbed a full length black trench coat from a chair to hide the fact he was in a half tux and went out the door locking it.

It was pitch black as was the norm for this time of year and the street lights around here were few and far between, but that was fine. Guts had gotten used to it a long time ago and it was easier to hide in which was very useful in this part of the town. Not that many people tried anything anymore…not after the last guy who, as far as Guts had heard, was still eating from a tube. The lights were becoming more frequent and brighter as he made his way to the better district.

Berman's Bar was one of the best places in town to come for a drink…or so that patrons said, and judging by the amount of people who came into it each night Guts was inclined to agree. He worked mainly as a bouncer for the establishment, but occasionally found himself serving drinks behind the counter with help from a fake id that aged him to 21. Berman's owner was a slimeball, but it suited his purposes just fine. He got to keep the leftover food from the shifts and being paid under the table meant he got the full paycheck with no government strings attached. Even if he was treated like shit and worked harder then a dog, Guts wasn't about to complain, especially with rent being due the following week.

The bar was unusually full this evening, with drunks bemoaning the trials of the earthquake and the massive amounts of damage certain parts of the town had taken. His school had been completely destroyed, but no one had been seriously hurt which had Guts mouthing a silent thank you prayer to whatever god or goddess might actually care enough to listen. The drum of music was louder tonight because of the increased customer base, and Guts sighed at the beginnings of a headache even as he gave a friendly smile to a new customer who had walked over to the bar. Whatever fake words he had been thinking of saying died on his lips and his smile fell to pure shock as he met the piercingly frosty eyes of his Biology teacher, Ran Ramori.

"_Maybe…he won't recognize me?"_ Guts silently hoped that was the case. The inhumanly beautiful creature met his gaze for a few moments before raising an eyebrow. His face had taken the appearance of a father clearly disappointed with a child's behavior and Guts was sure his own face looked just like said kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. From behind the crush of people another form had managed to make it to the counter with a soft sigh, before also looking into Guts' face and this person's reaction was far less tactful as narrow emerald eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

Before Mr. Syoto could say something that would most certainly draw people's attention, if not get him fired on the spot, Guts clapped a hand over the shocked teacher's mouth and whispered. "Please don't make a scene! I promise I will explain later…" Both men looked at each other before nodding agreement and Guts visibly relaxed. "My shift ends in an hour…" Again they both nodded, and Guts tried to go back to his job. There were no other problems that presented themselves, but by the time his shift ended Guts felt completely drained. Neither teacher had made a scene as promised, but they had both stayed at the counter watching his every move.

The air was cold and had an almost flavorful crispness to it. If he didn't have two glaring teachers at his back, Guts might have even enjoyed it. He looked up at the sky and the light of the full moon made him wince. _"Was it always that bright?"_ Guts was brought out of his thoughts as a throat was cleared behind him and he turned to face his fate. Not only was working without permission against school policy, but he was far too young to legally be working at a bar. He had always known someone he knew could stumble on him working, but it was a huge city and this district alone had more bars then streetlights the odds were… _"Thank you again Lady Fate…if you actually do exist, remind me to kick your ass!"_

"Mr. Raider…the promised explanation, if you please." Cold, unmerciful, deep, and utterly beautiful, Ran's voice sent chills down his spine, but not in a good way. He could almost imagine an executioner using that tone while asking a condemned man for his last words. The teacher stood still, with his arms crossed, and if Guts didn't know any better he would think the man was completely relaxed…but he knew better…

Ran Ramori was a teacher of few words and even less patience. His visage was hauntingly beautiful as the moonlight fell upon his waist length silver hair, eyes the color of lilacs covered in frost bored into the boy with the intensity of 1000 swords. The man looked liked an artist's sculpture brought to life, but in the school he had a nickname, the ice dragon… That beautiful creature was always as cold as ice. Never did a smile grace those perfect lips, nor was any mercy shown for anyone caught breaking even the simplest of rules…

Guts shrunk away from that piercing glare and looked towards the other man, Syoto Sanan. He was relived to see that instead of anger, a look of concern graced the tall man's features. This man had a nickname around the school as well, Nana. …Yes it was a weird name to give to a teacher, but one student mentioned how Syoto was calm, gentle, and caring about his students, much like the famous Nana dog from Peter Pan and surprisingly the name had caught on quickly. Those gold, flecked emerald eyes always shined with soft warmth and when he smiled, which was often, it was like the gentle spring sun had lit up the room. But right now that wonderful smile was nowhere to be seen.

"Guts…are you alright?" So much concern was entwined with the words that Guts almost felt like running into the man's arms and just crying. How he longed to tell his teacher everything about his life…his hateful, abusive father, living on his own for years, barely managing to scrape enough money together for shelter or a hot meal…A part of him wanted to believe that the kind teacher before him would have understood and helped him, but the bitter, jaded paranoid pessimist he had become knew that would never be the case. It was far more likely that the teacher would **try** to help him, but that help would just mess everything up. If he confronted his father, Guts would probably be dead before he could blink, and if the government got involved…

Guts shuddered at the many scenarios that were running through his head, and decided on his best option. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves then met both men with a defiant look. "Not really like it is your business, but I used up my allowance and the guy offered to pay me. That's really all there is too it."

Syoto frowned. "But that can not be all there is too it…There are many other places and jobs to do in this city that do not involve illegal activities. You could easily have gotten permission for a more normal occupation. In fact the school has programs to help students who wish to work find part-time jobs."

"Oh yeah I can just see it now. Working for minimum wage, wearing a goofy hat, while asking 'Do you want fries with that?'" He put as much sarcasm and venom into his voice as he could; hoping to sound every bit the juvenile delinquent the other students thought he was.

"Watch your tongue, boy."

"Ran, please there is no need for such a tone."

"You are far too lenient! Transgressions should be dealt with swiftly and harshly."

"So I'm supposed to be scared? Of what? You? Fuck you old man. You wouldn't know real fear if it came up and kicked you in the ass!"

Ran all but growled in response. "Watch. Your. Tongue. Boy." The words were ground out through gritted teeth, fury evident with each slowly spoken word.

"Make me!"

"I should rip that thing right out of your…!"

"Ran! Stop!" Syoto's voice rang out and to Guts' surprise; Ran closed his eyes and fell silent. "Do not say something you will regret later…"

Ran simply nodded in response, through the knuckles on both of his hands had turned white with the strength he was gripping his own arms with. Guts knew if Syoto hadn't been there the two of them would have come to blows, and that would have made his situation much, much worse.

Syoto once again fixed his gaze upon Guts' face and spoke calmly. "What is going on, Guts? This type of behavior…is so unlike you. If there is something I can do to…"

Guts cut him off. "Fuck off! I don't need your help, you self righteous prick! You say this isn't like me, but what the hell do you know!? You see me for one hour a day 5 days a week. That leaves 163 hours that you don't see me. You don't know shit about me!"

"Guts…" the voice was quiet. It took all of his willpower to meet Syoto's eyes and not flinch. The man looked positively devastated by his words and he instantly felt sorry for saying them, but he knew this was the way it had to be. Syoto was far to kind **not **to help, and unintentionally he would only make things worse.

"I'm not going to quit this job. No matter what either of you say!"

"I see…very well…" The smile he gave was filled with sorrow, and Guts had to swallow hard to get rid of the lump that had formed in his throat. Those beautifully warm emerald eyes were filled with regret and pain, but that kindly gaze was also filled with understanding. He walked over to Guts and placed his hands upon the boy's shoulders. "It is…something you feel you can not trust us with…I can respect that. Just know my offer to help will not disappear. When you feel you are ready, come by any time."

Guts barely managed a nod in response. It was taking all his will power not to break into tears and apologize. He didn't need anyone to point out he was acting like an ass and most people would have met his words with anger or downright hated, but not Syoto. Nana would always live up to his name and be ready to help with a warm smile and a kind word…why couldn't he just act like a normal dick like all the other people in this city? Why did he have to be so…damn…kind.

"We won't tell anyone." He softly ruffled Guts' hair before turning around and walking away with Ran following stiffly behind. Guts stood there in the now freezing air as a soft misty rain began to fall and listened to the men's footsteps fade away into the night. When he was sure they were actually gone, he slumped against a nearby wall and sat down on the ground. His head was pounding and he was cold, but he couldn't bring himself to move. So instead he put his head into his arms and just cried.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

"*sigh* You're brooding." Syoto chided his now silent companion who was glaring daggers into his back.

"You are too damn lenient!"

"Now you're shouting…" In lieu of response Ran just grabbed the taller man's shoulders and slammed him hard against the wall. Most people would have been intimidated if not outright petrified, but Syoto met the furious glare with a calm one of his own. "*sigh* Do you really have that little faith in my judgment?"

The anger faded and Ran looked almost sheepish as his gaze fell to the ground. "I didn't mean it like that…but-"

Syoto silenced him with a soft kiss. "Your concern is appreciated, but I assure you I know the difference between a no-good punk and a good kid with a large defense mechanism. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if he started crying the moment we left." Ran's eyes narrowed further as he silenced Syoto with a kiss of his own. Far from gentle, when Ran finally pulled away Syoto was panting and flushed. "R-Ran…"

Ran lowered his voice to a whisper and all but growled into his ear. "Don't kiss me then talk about someone else…"

Syoto looked surprised for a moment, before giving a soft laugh and smiling mischievously. "If it bothers you that much…then make it so I **can't** think about anyone else." That brought a slight flush to Ran's face which was quickly joined with a cruel smile. Syoto felt his body press closer as he was pushed harder against the wet bricks and hissed a little when his shirt was pulled upwards, exposing warm flesh to the bitterly cold air. He couldn't suppress a gasp as Ran's tongue ran over a particularly sensitive spot at the base of his scalp just behind his ear. A knee was placed at just the right angle to press against his groin and Syoto relished the small shockwaves it sent through his body. Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, a voice much colder then the night rang out, freezing both of them in their tracks.

"So…this is how a Rodigren spends his off days? Humping a runt of a dog demon like some bitch in heat? Oh how the mighty have fallen…My dearest Lord Ran."

Syoto sighed as he heard Ran's hands begin to carve deep groves into the bricks behind them and looked exasperatingly at the figure that jumped down from the tall building with all the grace of a cat and the sound of a shadow. "Darkron…wonderful timing as always…why has no one killed you yet?"

He gave a small chuckle and a wry smile graced his elegant features. "Who knows? I have always been told my special "talents" are too good to give up. Care to find out if it is true little dog?"

Ran growled as his aura went from angry to downright dangerous. Without warning a nearby weed shot out a long thorny vine which pierced the wall mere millimeters from Darkron's head. The creature didn't even flinch and gave a wickedly cruel smile as the silver haired man held Syoto with the possessiveness of a spoiled child unwilling to share his favorite toy.

"Well there is no time for that anyway. There is much to discuss, my friends…the opening is almost upon us."

**xxxxxxxxxx**

How long Guts had stayed there he didn't know, but he honestly felt no desire to move. He was so damn tired. Tired of everything…his bullshit of a life, his truly crappy job, that damn migraine that seemed to plague him whenever he felt at his worst…He just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up, but it seemed even that was asking for too much as his instincts told him something was wrong. He looked up to see a group of punks with bats and knives surrounding him with wicked grins plastered on their faces. Most people would have been terrified, but Guts wasn't most people. They attacked him without warning or reason…and they paid dearly for it. His mind was in a haze and he fought with the fearsome efficiency of a veteran soldier who spent far too many days on a battlefield. When the fight ended not a single one was left standing. He had no injuries but the punks weren't as fortunate as most had injuries to their arms and legs that would never heal correctly. Guts once again slumped to the cold wet ground the little strength adrenaline afforded him spent.

"Why…can't people just leave me alone…?"

"Do you really want them to?" Guts looked up in shock when a voice responded to his question. There standing over him holding an umbrella so it covered his head was Griffith.

"Wha? …how?"

The boy giggled. "It was written on your calendar."

"Oh…why?"

"Should I not have come?"

"I…didn't mean it like that…"

"There isn't a reason really…do you really need one?"

"No." Griffith smiled and held out his hand to Guts, who without any real thought took it. The thinner boy helped him to his feet with a surprising amount of strength and without releasing his hand led him down the ally back towards the apartment. Once they arrived Griffith released his hand and Guts actually found himself missing the warmth so he grabbed it again.

"Guts?" Griffith cocked an eyebrow at the strange action, before using his free hand to wipe some water off of Guts' face. He wasn't that surprised to find that hand being held in place as well. "You're freezing…" Griffith sighed and pulled his hands free. "Strip."

That seemed to bring Guts out of the haze that had been clinging to him since Griffith had found him sitting in the rain and blood soaked ally behind the bar. "Excuse me?"

"I said strip." When Guts didn't move, Griffith took hold of the taller boy's shirt and began undoing the buttons. It was only when the chill of the room hit his bare skin that the boy snapped fully awake. No matter how tired he was, NO ONE removed his clothes but him. Especially not some overly pushy pretty boy with topaz eyes…and…very warm hands….Guts shook his head clear and shoved Griffith's hands away from their dangerous position near his belt.

"What the hell!? Back off!"

Griffith rolled his eyes at the overly dramatic flush that now assaulted the taller boy's cheeks. "You can't stay in soaking wet clothes. Not unless you want to catch your death."

"W-who said I was cold? I happen to like wet clothes!"

Griffith raised an eyebrow at that knowing full well he was just trying to be difficult. He seemed to do that a lot when taken out of his comfort zone. "Really? *sigh* Fine…to each his own I guess. Still I can't imagine taking a bath in all that material will be too comfortable…"

"Who said I was taking a bath?"

"I did. Just now…did you not hear me?"

"I heard you just fine…but who the fuck died and made you king!?"

"I'm just trying to…"

"I DIDN"T ASK FOR YOUR GODDAMN HELP!"

Guts immediately clapped a hand over his mouth as Griffith stared back at him. Whatever warmth Griffith's eyes held vanished in an instant, replaced with a cold, piercing gaze that would have rivaled Ran's. "Like it or not you have it. I'm going to go run the water in your tub. When I return you **WILL** be out of those clothes or I will rip them off of you. And God help me if it kills me I will get your ass in that bath and warmed up. Is that clear?"

Guts could only nod weakly in response. Something about that commanding gaze…he wasn't afraid of it, but he felt a bit of guilt at his uncalled for outburst. Though Griffith's methods had been wrong, the intentions behind them were pure and the logic sound. He did need to get his ass out of those clothes and warmed up, or he would get sick. And if he got sick there was no way he would be able to pay next week's rent…

"Still not undressed?" Griffith sighed before kneeling down in front of Guts and once again working at removing his belt. This time however he met no resistance and with relative ease he had Guts completely naked in front of him. Had he not been so worried about his new friend's mental and physical wellbeing he might have been drooling at the physique before him and even a bit awed by the…impressive assets the boy was showcasing, but now was not the time for such thoughts, so Griffith promptly stood and all but shoved Guts towards the bathroom. It didn't take too much coaxing to get the now frigid boy into the blissfully warm water and he was even rewarded with a contented sigh as he ran a washcloth across said boy's arm. After a few minuets of this heavenly treatment it was all Guts could do not to fall asleep right where he was, and that certainly hadn't gone unnoticed by his new friend/caretaker. A quick towel dry, a change of clothes, and he could practically hear his warm bed calling to him. He really was so very tired…

No sooner had Guts head hit the pillow then he was out like a light and Griffith sighed in exhaustion. His own body was physically complaining about all the work he had just made it do, and he could feel his own fever beginning to rise again. With slight hesitation Griffith looked at Guts' sleeping form before crawling into the bed beside him. With his own body so dangerously weak he couldn't very well sleep on the floor, but he couldn't help but wonder what kind of reaction the larger boy would have upon his awakening. As sleep tugged at the corners or his mind, Griffith found himself engulfed by that sweet pine scent once more and sighed contentedly...oh yes. He could defiantly learn to love that scent.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

_Another chapter comes to a close. Hope it was worth the wait…probably not, so I apologize. Please review!_


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